Tennessee Basketball: Four-star small forward commits to Vols

Tennessee basketball has a new commitment in On3 four-star small forward Cameron Carr, a 6-foot-4, 160-pound prospect out of Manhattan, Kansas.

Carr is ranked by On3 as the No. 112 overall prospect in the 2023 recruiting cycle. He’s the No. 23 small forward nationally and the No. 2 player in the state of Missouri, where he attends Link Academy. He’s a product of the MOKAN Elite AAU program.

“Honestly, it just felt like it was the right fit,” Carr told Volquest. “I’ve been praying about it. Just trying to find an answer, something to stick out that just made where I want to be, or find an answer to where I want to go. I just felt like Tennessee was the right place for me.”

With the Vols, Carr found honesty in head coach Rick Barnes and a style of play that caught his eye.

“He’s honest,” Carr said of Barnes. “He’s always honest. He’s never going to sugar coat anything. I don’t know, he’s a great guy to talk to on and off the court.”

“Their play style is very similar to what I’ve been playing in,” Carr added. “And they like to shoot a lot of threes. So I mean, shoot, who wouldn’t like that?”

He’s the son of Chris Carr, who played six years in the NBA. The former second-round pick in the 1995 NBA Draft is currently an assistant coach on the Kansas State women’s basketball staff.

Tennessee assistant coach Rod Clark was the primary recruiter for Carr.

“He’s a great guy,” Carr said of Clark. “He feels like family because of MOKAN. I don’t know, I feel like I already have a bond there with him.”

Carr picked the Vols over Northwestern, Kansas State and Virginia, among other scholarship offers. He took an official visit to Tennessee on October 22 and took other visits to Virginia (October 16), Kanas State (September 30) and Northwestern (September 16).

Carr said Tennessee liked his shooting ability, to go with his frame and size. Defensively, he described him as versatile, “being able to guard multiple positions, and then rebounding.”

He’s the fourth commitment in Tennessee’s 2023 class, joining four-star power forward JP Estrella, four-star shooting guard Freddie Dilione and three-star power forward Cade Phillips.

College basketball’s fall signing period opens on Wednesday.

Tennessee entered Tuesday with the No. 14 recruiting class in the 2023 team rankings. The Vols were second in the SEC.

Estrella, the 6-foot-11, 210-pound center out of South Portland, Maine, is the highest-rated prospect in the class, coming in at No. 21 overall in the 2023 class in the On3 ratings. He’s ranked No. 6 among power forwards and No. 1 in player out of Maine.

Dilione, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard from Fayetteville, N.C., is ranked No. 56 nationally in the 2023 class. He’s No. 10 among shooting guards and No. 1 in the state of North Carolina.

Phillips, a 6-foot-9, 200-pound prospect from Rainbow City, Ala., is roommates with Carr at Link Academy in Missouri. Phillips is ranked No. 147 in the 2023 class in the On3 consensus. He’s ranked No. 30 among power forwards and No. 1 in the state of Alabama.

Tennessee five-player signing class last year — five-star Julian Phillips, four-star small forward DJ Jefferson, four-star point guard BJ Edwards, center Tobe Awaka and Indiana State graduate-transfer guard Tyreke Key — finished 16th nationally in the On3 team rankings and No. 5 in the SEC. 

Head coach Rick Barnes has signed five five-star prospects at Tennessee since 2019 — Phillips, Kennedy Chandler (2021), Jaden Springer (2020), Keon Johnson (2020) and Josiah-Jordan James (2019). James, Springer, Chandler and Phillips also gave the Vols a McDonalds All-American in each of the last four classes.